In the interest of full disclosure Jack has been sleeping with a public school teacher for 31 years. You don't suppose he is worried about his bed mates job security do you?

Jack says

There is now a bill before the legislature that would require people home schooling their kids to report this fact to their local school system. Frankly, I thought that was required already. It certainly should be. Yet the home schoolers are screaming that this would violate their rights.

That’s nuts. This bill is necessary, and they should know better. For one thing, if we don’t know who is home schooling their kids, how can we know who is teaching their kids at home – and who are simply letting their kids run wild?

Because the kids running wild are enrolled in public school.

Actually, this bill doesn’t go far enough. We need a strong package of bills firmly regulating home schooling. They should prescribe a curriculum and require home schoolers to prove they are qualified to teach. We owe it to our kids and ourselves.

Did Jack give birth to my children? NO! Does Jack pay their medical bills, feed and cloth them? NO! Then they aren't our children. They are mine and my husband's children and we shouldn't have to answer to Jack or anybody else for the educational choices we make for our children.

Why on earth anyone would think having the government proscribe a curriculum is a good idea is beyond me. If I was happy with the public school curriculum I wouldn't be homeschooling. And little ole homeschooling ME came up with a curriculum that allowed my eldest son to start college at 16.

Schools have facilities and laboratories nearly impossible to duplicate at home. Education also involves hard-to-quantify things like social interaction. You learn from each other, not just from facts and exercises.

Some schools do have facilities and laboratories that the average parent couldn't duplicate, but the vast majority do not. Also homeschoolers are able to take advantage of science classes offered by colleges specifically tailored for homeschoolers. Both of my children attended a Biology Lab at Mississippi University for Women. Other families join coops where they have access to facilities and laboratories on par with the public schools. As for social interaction, thanks to the Internet my kids can interact with kids from all over the world. We participated in Friends & Flags where we made friends with students from Israel & Belarus. When we were studying Japanese my children were able to chat with students who lived in Japan. My children have also been involved in Cub & Boy Scouts, Recreational Soccer and Robotics where they have interacted with public school, private school, and other homeschooled students.

Jack contradicts himself hereAnd yes, homeschooling is necessary. But as a supplement, not a substitute. Mom and Dad need to take part in homeschooling every night. They need to take a vigorous part in their kids’ homework.

First Jack says that homeschool parents are too dumb to teach their kids and then he maintains it's necessary for parents to teach their kids after school. Does anyone else see how contradictory this statement is. Either parents without teaching credentials are perfectly capable of teaching their children or they are not and shouldn't be expected to help with homework. You can't have it both ways Jack.More and more, we are evolving into a place where two kids the same age have wildly different educational experiences.

And why it that a bad thing? Different kids are interested in different things. Hence the different majors when one gets to college. It only makes sense that those kids who know what career path they want to take be free to take courses that will help them prepare for their future careers. Jack is also ignoring the fact that public schools vary not only from state to state but from one school district to another.If Jack's ignorant diatribe against homeschooling isn't bad enough we also have to put up with this uninformed drivel.Posted by: ThrasherHomeschool types are like a cult, they have little capacity to respect the opinons of others...(BTW Thrasher you misspelled opinions)

And Thrasher has just demonstrated his ability to respect the opinions of others (especially homeschoolers) brilliantly. Can you say PREJUDICE?

They are on a mission to indoctrinate minors who lacked the protection of the state to secure thier rights..(Thrasher you misspelled their)

Actually my mission is to educate my children so they can go to college, get a degree and get a good job.Homeschoolers are a lethal aggregate of myopic people who according to the data and research reject social and progressive ideas...

What data????

They remind me of rednecks during our country's aparthied era/jim crow era they fled from public schools when thier fellow americans of a darker hue sought entry...(Thrasher again misspelled their he also misspelled apartheid and Americans)

Thrasher's BIGOTRY is showing.

The truth about these backward people is that they harm thier children and they create a entire aggregate of more ignorant people that must be reeducated for our country to reach it's ideals..(their is misspelled yet again)

If Thrasher has children I pity them as his rant against homeschoolers shows how prejudiced, bigoted and intolerant he is. I can only assume his spelling is due to the fact he was educated in PUBLIC SCHOOLS. Where apparently they didn't bother to teach one how to use spell check.

Instead of trying to limit educational choices we should all be working to increase the educational choices for all.

She also does a great job explaining why it important for those of us who engage in traditional homeschooling to separate ourselves from those who do public schooling at home.

In the necessity of keeping the public funds flowing, families who have chosen public school at home options should be willing to make the case that their option is public schooling albeit in the home, and that they are willing to be accountable for their government funds.

In order to preserve the freedom of educating children apart from public schooling, it is important to keep reminding government, the media and the general public that since home school families do not accept government funding they are not under the same accountability requirements as those who enroll their children in public school at home programs.

Welcome Goddesses of Spring

Hail, and welcome! Green life returns to the earth blooming and blossoming once more from the soil. We welcome you,goddesses of spring, Eostre, Persephone, Flora, Cybele, in the trees, in the soil, in the flowers, in the rains, and we are grateful for your presence.

Prayer to the Winter Goddess

O! Mighty goddess, in silvery ice,watching over us as we sleep,a layer of shining white,covering the earth each night,frost on the world and in the soul,we thank you for visiting us.Because of you, we seek warmthin the comfort of our homes and hearths.

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About Alasandra

Former Homeschool MomEldest son has a Masters in Computer ScienceYoungest son has a B.A. Degree in History with a minor in Political Science